Fisher residents embody hall's motto well
By MICHAEL LEWIS
Scene Writer
With a $750,000 donation from Mr. and Mrs. Fred J. Fisher, Notre Dame built a residence hall bearing the family's name in 1952.
Ironically, one of the dorm's former residents, Regis Philbin, gives away more than that sum of money regularly on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" Philbin shows a picture of his old room, 218, and the current resident each year during football season on his morning television show with Kathy Lee Gifford. Joe Montana is another well-known former Fisher Hall resident, though the dorm itself has a low profile.
Fisher residents predominantly share the opinion that the dorm is not a world-class facility, but they are thankful that they can be a part of the strong community.
"I go to Purdue all the time and I talk about our dorm a lot," junior Mike Andree said. "We may have the stinkiest dorm on campus, but we definitely have the nicest people."
"Even during finals week, the Big F makes you smile," said Fisher junior Brian Nolen, referring to the building's most distinguishing mark. He brought up another interesting point about the hall's aesthetic qualities by saying, "Sometimes, I wonder why the only trees left on South Quad are in front of Fisher."
The physical plan of Fisher Hall does not quite measure up to the standard set by the Basilica and the Administration Building, but the hall houses a vibrant, diverse, spirited, caring community. Father Richard Warner, counselor to the president and director of Campus Ministry, and Father Tim Scully, vice president and senior associate provost, live in Fisher and contribute immeasurably to the solidarity in the dorm.
"It's been a great first year," new Rector Father Robert Moss said. "I'm impressed with the spirit of the men in Fisher Hall, and I'm looking forward to a lot of growth and even closer cooperation as a community next year."
The 185 residents form a tight-knit community. This year has challenged the hall with Andy Donlan's injury in London and another resident's bout with cancer. But these events only served to bring Fisher together to support and pray for these students and their families. The level of care that students express for each other was the thing that most impressed freshman Raymond Aftandilians after his first few weeks in Fisher Hall.
When asked about his first impressions of Fisher Hall, sophomore Morley Fortier said, "It looks like an old apartment building, but I had an awesome section last year and we all immediately became good friends."
Fisher Hall co-president Tonu Polcari said, "We might not be one of the most well known dorms on campus because of our small size, but I would say the small number of people in the dorm allows everyone to get to know each other and creates a strong sense of dorm spirit."
Originally, every room in Fisher was a single and the building housed graduate students. In the mid-1970s, renovations knocked out walls and created doubles and quads and Fisher became an undergraduate residence hall. Fisher will undergo a $1.7 million renovation this summer that will give the hall a much-needed face-lift, with every floor and the exterior receiving significant attention.
Andree said, "We may not be stinkin' next year; it may be nice in here. The renovation could change our reputation."
But Fisher Hall is known for more than their size and appearance. The dorm's signature event is the Fisher Regatta. This annual event will take place on April 29 at Saint Mary's Lake. Since 1987, each hall on campus has sponsored a team that makes and then races a boat across the lake.
On the afternoon before the Regatta, Fisher Hall will host a free concert in front of the Rockne Memorial featuring Umphrey's McGee. The race starts at 1 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, and the county fair-like atmosphere will come to Notre Dame's campus with music, food and games around the lake. The final event of the weekend is the annual Regatta dance.
"I think it's one of the biggest campus-wide events that a lot of people know about and look forward to every year," two-time Regatta chairman Phil Bomeli said. "It's a lot of work, but it's really, really nice on Regatta day to see all your work come to fruition and to see everybody having a good time."
The hall has an energetic atmosphere with good participation on interhall sports teams and perennial success in these competitions, despite the hall's small size. Defensive lineman Dahx Marrs said of the Fisher football team's 7-6 semifinal loss to Knott Hall, "The championship game was played in the semifinals."
Another unique aspect of Fisher Hall is the high daily mass attendance. During the first semester nearly 10 percent of the dorm's residents were down in the chapel at 11 p.m. to pray with Moss, Warner or Scully. Fisher Hall also hosts weekly Eucharistic adoration from 11 p.m. on Monday until mass on Tuesday night.
Fisher Hall is distinguished by its residents, who are active intellectually, athletically, socially and spiritually. The hall's motto is "Discipline, Unity, Respect and Concern," and these qualities define the students, faculty and staff that make up the Fisher Hall community.
All Scene Stories for Monday, April 3, 2000
